Councillors agreed to a survey to decide the future of Byfleet Parish Council at a meeting of Woking Borough Council’s Executive. The survey will now be constructed and sent out to the 5,492 electors in the village who will have a chance to give their opinion on the future of the organisation. The printing of the survey, postal charges and fees for an independent market research company to analyse it, will be about £4,000. The parish council was formed in 1989 when residents supported its formation. Following elections in May 2003, the parish council passed a resolution for its own abolition, as it decided its function was not necessary in the village. With parish council elections due to take place in 2007, the council says that it is anxious to address the matter for the future of Byfleet. Chairman of the parish council and county councillor Geoff Marlow said: “This survey appears to be a pointless exercise when there has already been an election and two consultations — all with the same result. “After all, the Byfleet community has three borough councillors and one county councillor to communicate with. “If this form of communication is not considered satisfactory, then everyone in this chamber will become superfluous in the future. “A former respected mayor of this borough, Barry Pope, once said in this chamber: ‘There haven’t been any crowds of Byfleet people banging on the doors of the civic offices demanding to have their parish council back’.” Horsell councillor Richard Sanderson said: “I hope that there will be a reasonable response to the survey to find out what people think and if they want a parish council in Byfleet. “Mr Marlow talks as if the parish council is an unusual beast. There are lots of parish councils throughout Guildford and these areas find them very useful.” Councillor Philip Golden-berg said: “People have different excitements and parish councils don’t excite people.” Councillor Marlow said: “It was not a surprise that the executive decided to go along with the opinion poll. “As Liberal Democrats, they believe that the people of Byfleet should have a parish council and therefore pay more council tax than anybody else in Woking has to pay.”